


Unexpected Hiding Place

by ArcticMel



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-29 14:13:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8492878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcticMel/pseuds/ArcticMel
Summary: Bruce Banner's coda to Age of Ultron





	

 

 

Heat. 

Oppressive, scorching, blistering heat.

That's where they’d look first. Where the sun gripped his skin and fine grains of sand were spun into his hair.

That's what was expected. 

But the thought of familiar hiding places made his chest tighten and hands curl into fists. He couldn't be anywhere that might hold even the smallest amount of comfort. He didn't deserve that luxury. The betrayal of his friends and the destruction from The Other Guy were his fault. He had warned them and he’d let his guard down and that was his mistake. 

Staying was always his mistake.

His eyes detected the faintest hint of sunrise on the horizon. He kept a vigil as the sliver of light grew and began to touch the Earth, dusting the sky a soft pink, reflecting the hue across the field of snow. The wisps of his breath became visible and the ice on the lake before him took on a mirrored sheen.

Since the addition of The Other Guy, it took him longer to feel the cold. Nevertheless, he didn't enjoy it. The sensation was tangled up in childhood memories that weren't sledding or snowball fights. 

He had endured the chilling winters in New York to be with his friends and as the leaves turned, objects would mysteriously find their way into his space. A knitted wool scarf from Clint. A collection of aromatic teas from Natasha. Extravagant, soft, fleece-lined boots from Tony. 

Somehow, they’d always kept him warm.

But that was over now.

And he’d stopped counting the number of times he’d watched the sun rise against the snow.

This was where he needed to be. Where the chill could find it's way into the tiniest of spaces where the edges of his gloves met the sleeves of his coat and where his scarf sat just a little too high on his collar.

This was where he needed to be.

When it was time to leave, he would know.

Tent flap open, he settled back into his chair, heart heavy and eyes closed against the snow-blinding glare of the reflecting sun.

Another day.

Another day.

Another day.

 

 

 

 

And from somewhere off in the distance, the faint sound of a whirling Mjolnir broke his silence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thor:Ragnarok may prove me wrong but I couldn't get this transition out of my head.
> 
> Thanks to JadeSymb for pushing me to post this tiny piece of fanfic!


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